Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1887-02-10
Before this 1 had fancied that there

| face and in his general tone and bearing.
He might be the man who swore four
years ago at Smelling that he had been
underpaid, or he might be the man who
had been acoidently overpaia at Colum-
bus two years before, and who had come
| forward of his own accord and made res
| titutiOn.
eff ye've got God, yed better thank
Him that Jem Connover don't owe ye
much of grudge."
Why did those words ring in my ears
and echo through my whole beingf
That night found as at the foot of
Brooks mountain, and at the extreme
verge of civilization in that direction.
Beyond here We were to take the old gov
eminent supply road-a mere blazed path
with which Connover and two of his
men were perfectly familiar, and we
would not strike another settlement until
| near to Stetson.
went to sleep thinking Of Sergeant
James Connover, and it must have been
Immediately after my waking senses left
me that my dream senses took up the
thread, and they took it up to some pur-
pose.
was at Fort Smelling, second lie1tan-
ant of engineers, engaged in surveying
government lands, laying out roads and
| SO on, and among those detailed to assist
NE was private of the name of James
Connover.
He got drunk while at work, but when
| reprlmanded him he used language so Of
fensive and foul that could not pass it
by. reported him, and he was logged
verely-fogged so severely that I bore
him no more grudge. But he bore one
toward me, though.
Aye, while his back was bleeding and
smarting he Kissed into my ears:
"If ye've got God, be sure to him, Jpm
Connover swears that he don't give over
this grudge till one of us dies!'
1 started out from my sleep and sat up.
[ remembered all now. Yes this was the
man, who Is years before, had cursed and
swore and reviled me, and threatened all
manners of violence; and his only provo
cation had been that I threatened to have
him punished if be ever got drunk again
while on duty with me. To be sure he
was under the influence of liquor at the
time: but not so far gone but that he
knew very well what he was doing, be-
cause after reaching the fort on our re-
turn, he had made his boast that he had
given the "Shoulderpop'' (so he called
meg stomach full to carry off, and he
didn't believe I would dare to report him.
But did report him, and 1 gave his
speech In full, and tho old major ordered
a court martial, out from the sentence
of which the man came with q hundred
lashes.
Twice he swore to me that he would
carry that g7udge against me while1we
both lived; and he told me it was deadly
grudge.
"I1l nevor forget it' he said the last
time. II shall carry those marks on my
back to my grave, and-you! I hope
you may die before do!'
Those we're his words spoken while I
was stepping on board steamer at St.
Louis, and knew that he plainly meant
to help me die if he ever got the chance.
And here I was with my old enemy as an
escort.
hasty review of the whole thing
brought me to rather an unpleasant un-
Outstanding of the present situation. That
Connover still bore the old grudge was
very evident, and it was equally evident
that he meant to settle the account be-
tween US on this trip. I could not think
there In the tent it was to narrow space.
l had arisen, and was upon the point of
passing out. with my pistol in my hand,
when l heard stealthy footster at the
entrance. Without noiseI sprang to
front corner, and there crouched down
upon my saddle.
l had scarcely gained the position
when the flap was drawn aside and a man
looked in. All! just beyond the face of
the interloper was an opening at the end
of the mountain, and I caught his pro-
file against patch of clear sky. It was
the hard bronzed face of James Connov-
err!
held my pistol ready for instant use,
expecting every moment to see him leap
to the spread blankets. But he was very
moderate. He put mis- head further in
and seemed puzzled. Once raised my
pistol, full sure that the man was after
my life, and fealed that if I threw a
chance away he might get the better of
me; but did not fire. Something seem
ed to whisper in my ear: "Hold on!
You've hit him once. Be sure you're in
danger before you hit him again?' and
lowered my pistol and watched. Present.
ly "Major" came from hiss lips, carefully
but earnestly. "Major!-Major Coch-
ranew
With yawn, as though just startled
from sleep, l returned:
"A-a-h! HellOl who's here?"
''Eh? Down here? It's me, Major-Ser-
geans Connover. I was passing round
back of your tent, and though heard ye
talking with yerself. So, thinking ye'd
be awake, and having something that 1
wanted particularly to say, made bold to
come around and look in. The fact is,
Major couldn't sleep till I'd set mat
tiers right"
By this time the fellow had turned SO
that I could see that he had no weapon
with him and began to fear that had
been little too fearful. However, I got
up and stepped out into the center of
the tented arena and said:
$50 ahead, sergeant; I'm al attention"
Without further preliminaries he went
on:
''Of course you know me?"
81 think have good reason to remem
Der you, sergeant"
"And you remember the last words I
ever spoke to you in the old years!'
II have not forgotten them"
0Wrfl ~ he Soid With ralpable hurst of